Male or female quick coupling element and quick coupling including such an element

Abstract

This male or female quick coupling element (4; 6) is intended to be coupled to a pressurized fluid pipe (C4; C6). It comprises a body (42; 62) defining at least one pressurized fluid passage (441, 643, 681), a front face and a longitudinal axis (X4; X6) of the coupling element. An inner part (48; 64) arranged in the body is provided with a surface belonging to the front face, as well as a drain passage (482, 484; 642, 644) coupling the pressurized fluid passage and the outside of the coupling element. An opening mechanism (54, 56, 58, 59; 74, 76, 78, 78) is intended to be actuated from the front face of the coupling element to open the drain passage. The inner part (48; 64) is provided with a peripheral groove (484; 644) in which a seal (59; 79) rests that closes off the drain passage (482, 484; 642, 644) in a closing off portion. The opening mechanism is mounted in the inner part and comprises at least one member (58; 78) for controlling the position of the seal (59; 79) relative to the groove (484; 644), this control member being movable between a first inactive position, where it does not move the seal relative to its closing off position, and a second active position, where it acts directly on the seal (59; 79) to open the drain passage (482, 484; 642, 644).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a male or female quick coupling element, as well as a quick coupling including such an element.[0002]The invention more particularly relates to the quick couplers used to couple pressurized fluid pipes. With a quick coupler, when coupling two pressurized fluid pipes, a male element and a female element are nested in one another to create a pressurized fluid circulation tunnel. This coupling requires pushing back valve flaps which, in this case, belong to each of the male and female elements of the coupler. These flaps are subject to the internal pressure of each coupling element, this pressure being able to be high and led to increase in its environment, to the point of hindering the maneuvering of the coupler, inasmuch as the operator may experience difficulties in overcoming the resisting force exerted by the pressure of the fluid inside the coupling elements, against the flaps. For example, for a coupler whereof the flap h...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]Owing to the invention, the activation of the mechanism for opening the fluid channel makes it possible to allow a sufficient quantity of pressurized fluid to escape to lower the residual pressure in the inner volume of the coupling element, to the point that the pressure exerted on its flap can easily be overcome by the operator when nesting the male and female elements in one another. The presence of the seal in the groove of the inner part makes it possible to produce an annular sealing section within the drain passage. The control member makes it possible to create a leak at this seal, when it acts on the seal, in particular to unstick this seal relative to the bottom of the groove against which the seal rests by default, i.e., when it is in its closing off position. Using a peripheral groove and a seal makes it possible to obtain good compactness of the opening mechanism of the drain passage and to use a simple, reliable and cost-effective approach. It requires few structural modifications relative to a traditional coupler. The invention applies indifferently to a male or female coupling element.

Problems solved by technology

These flaps are subject to the internal pressure of each coupling element, this pressure being able to be high and led to increase in its environment, to the point of hindering the maneuvering of the coupler, inasmuch as the operator may experience difficulties in overcoming the resisting force exerted by the pressure of the fluid inside the coupling elements, against the flaps.

Such as non-return flap is relatively bulky, which is not compatible with all coupler sizes.

In particular, in some couplers with a small diameter, only a reduced space is available in the central part of each male or female element, which does not make it possible to accommodate the known mechanism.

Furthermore, the larger the diameter of the coupler is, the more the flaps may have extensive surfaces subject to the internal pressure of the coupler and the higher the resisting forces are with respect to the nesting.

Images